THE OWNERS’ PLANS FOR THE KITCHEN CHANGED SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE THEY SETTLED ON A MINIMAL DESIGN E
ve and David Jervis didn’t know whether to celebrate or commiserate when they realised that the building plot they bid for at auction was actually theirs. “It was quite surreal,” recalls David. “We felt a mixture of real excitement and that feeling of ‘what on earth have we done?’” But any misgivings quickly vanished when
they started to plan a house that would become the complete antithesis of their previous home. “We lived for 10 years in a lovely modern
apartment in a 100-year-old former girl’s school,” says David. “It had fabulous sea views and loads of character, but unfortunately it haemorrhaged energy.” Although they had no experience of self- building, they were keen to build a house which was individual, ultra modern and as environmentally friendly as possible.
International inspiration
The three quarter acre plot in a village near Scarborough belonged to a local farmer, who had already been granted planning permission for a traditional dorma-bungalow. Eve and David knew they wanted something less conventional – a modern, eco-house with plenty of light and a spacious, open design – and Eve knew exactly where to look for inspiration. She is from Germany, “where around 65 per
cent of all new build properties are kit houses.” So the couple travelled to a specialist kit house site and factory called Fertighauswelt Wuppertal to study the options – initially
20 selfbuilder & homemaker
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favouring a timber-frame property with a large, open plan interior. “We spent five hours there and learned so
much,” says Eve. “We hadn’t appreciated how much choice there was, not just in terms of the design of buildings but also in the eco elements. So we did lots of drawings to create a design which was unique to us – a house with plenty of natural light, big windows and open spaces.” A year later, in 2010, planning was granted
for their new design, which would be built on the same footprint as the proposed dorma bungalow. The build didn’t however begin until November 2013. “We didn’t rush into the build straight away,”
says Eve. “We were not working to a timescale – we wanted to do plenty of research and make sure we had a clear vision of what we wanted before we began. It was three years before we finally bit the bullet, sold our last home and moved into rented accommodation.” “Renting was a good option because we had
no idea how long the build would take,” says David. “Eve is a bit of a gypsy at heart so she had no problem with leaving our old place, and we both liked the idea of having a blank canvas to work with. We stored anything we wanted to keep in a friend’s garage and sold, or gave away, the rest.” The plot is accessed via a long drive and has
open fields to the back, but is situated on an incline. The block and beam foundations were dug into the slope, towards the rear boundary of the plot, with the aim of creating shelter to the
back of the house and a bank of windows across the south-facing front to maximise the natural benefits of the sun as a heat source. The external block walls were built with a
thermal layer and the property taken up to roof timber level in what was, at this stage, a fairly standard build. “We didn’t want noisy stud walls inside so
every internal wall is also built in block to create a solid, quiet home,” says Eve. “The first stage of the build was relatively straightforward, but we soon came to realise that we wanted a more contemporary look on the outside than the timber and tile roof exterior we had planning for.”
Last minute changes
The build ground to a halt while they decided to go back to planning for permission to change the exterior to rendered walls and a metal roof. Eve also wanted opposing roof lines to create interesting angles and sharp lines – ideas which were given a cool reception by Scarborough Borough Council planning authority, who felt these modern materials would be out of keeping with the area. Eve and David argued their case, highlighting the wide range of build styles in neighbouring properties. Three months later their proposed changes were finally approved. “We realised that a timber-led house would
feature too much exposed wood and, although we love wood, I’m not Heidi,” Eve jokes. She continues: “Everything ground to a halt at roof level because we didn’t know what
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